When I reflect back on the years, I feel as though I took my educational experience for granted. I was raised in a suburban middle-class town that was highly competitive. My school was not only competitive in academics, with pressure to take Advanced Placement Classes and become part of the National Honor Society, but it was competitive in athletics, the arts, and music, not only among students in the school but among neighboring schools as well. The majority of parents and teachers truly cared about the students and always had high expectations, traits I recently learned are not apparent in the majority of schools across the United States. I feel as though these mentors acted as support system that pushed my class to excel and strive to be the best we could be.
Teachers play an enormous role in shaping the lives of their students because children are at a stage where they are influenced with ease. When I was in third grade, I had an experience that helped shape my values. My teacher, Mrs. Nissi, helped us see life from new perspectives, other peoples perspectives. She taught us to include everyone and treat others as we would like to be treated. Days before school began, I received a call asking if I would help to welcome a new student who recently moved to Duxbury from a neighboring town. She would be placed my class and as a newcomer, would not know anybody. I was asked to befriend her by including her with my own friends to ease her transition and make her feel comfortable. Ironically, we are still friends today and I call her “the best forced friend a girl could ask for!” Mrs. Nissi taught us to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes because she wanted us to think about struggles that others might face and take action to help them.
Mrs. Nissi was always trying to expose her students to new experiences and I feel like I truly learned about life in her class, rather than just how to multiply the 12s table. For example, she set up a unique program that brought senior citizens into the classroom to teach the students how to play cribbage, a popular card game. I learned so much from Mr. Howard, the man assigned to my cribbage group. He gave us thoughtful advice and would tell us stories that allowed us to understand him on a personal level over the weeks. We were able to see things from now another person’s perspective. Overall, Mrs. Nissi’s class was a positive experience because not only did I learn the basics such as how to write in cursive or how to transition into third grade, but I learned how to be an inclusive person that is open to new experiences and I can see the world differently through the eyes of others.
When I reflect back on the years, I feel as though I took my educational experience for granted. I was raised in a suburban middle-class town that was highly competitive. My school was not only competitive in academics, with pressure to take Advanced Placement Classes and become part of the National Honor Society, but it was competitive in athletics, the arts, and music, not only among students in the school but among neighboring schools as well. The majority of parents and teachers truly cared about the students and always had high expectations, traits I recently learned are not apparent in the majority of schools across the United States. I feel as though these mentors acted as support system that pushed my class to excel and strive to be the best we could be.
Teachers play an enormous role in shaping the lives of their students because children are at a stage where they are influenced with ease. When I was in third grade, I had an experience that helped shape my values. My teacher, Mrs. Nissi, helped us see life from new perspectives, other peoples perspectives. She taught us to include everyone and treat others as we would like to be treated. Days before school began, I received a call asking if I would help to welcome a new student who recently moved to Duxbury from a neighboring town. She would be placed my class and as a newcomer, would not know anybody. I was asked to befriend her by including her with my own friends to ease her transition and make her feel comfortable. Ironically, we are still friends today and I call her “the best forced friend a girl could ask for!” Mrs. Nissi taught us to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes because she wanted us to think about struggles that others might face and take action to help them.
Mrs. Nissi was always trying to expose her students to new experiences and I feel like I truly learned about life in her class, rather than just how to multiply the 12s table. For example, she set up a unique program that brought senior citizens into the classroom to teach the students how to play cribbage, a popular card game. I learned so much from Mr. Howard, the man assigned to my cribbage group. He gave us thoughtful advice and would tell us stories that allowed us to understand him on a personal level over the weeks. We were able to see things from now another person’s perspective. Overall, Mrs. Nissi’s class was a positive experience because not only did I learn the basics such as how to write in cursive or how to transition into third grade, but I learned how to be an inclusive person that is open to new experiences and I can see the world differently through the eyes of others.